CHECK out the amazing array of Scottish marine life in our picture gallery.

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With coasts to the north, east and west, Scotland is home to a wide variety of marine creatures.

From otters to basking sharks, Scotland’s open waters attracts some amazing wildlife during the changing seasons.

You’re most likely to spot a seal on during a tour of the Scottish seas. Around 70 per cent of Europe's population of grey seals and around 80 percent of the UK’s population of common seals are found in Scottish waters.

Other types of seal that have been spotted off Scotland’s coast include ringed and harp seals and lesser-sighted hooded and bearded seals.

And then we have otters. They can be found everywhere from Tentsmuir Point in the east and the Isle of Mull in the west, to the harbours of Shetland in the north and right down to the Mull of Galloway in the south.

Scotland is a stronghold for the Eurasian otter which can be spotted across the country in freshwater rivers, canals and marshes, as well as in the sea.

Otters live in holts, such as burrows or caves, which are ideal shelter for breeding and protection. Known for their shy nature, spotting them requires luck, patience and silence.

Minke whales are the most common type of whale in Scotland and can be spotted around sandbanks, headlands and small islands. Tens of thousands of minke whales are spotted in and around the North Sea each year.

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At least eight other species of whale are also spotted off Scotland’s shores, including orca, sei, sperm, fin whales, northern bottlenose and long finned pilot whales.

The dolphin's body is beautifully streamlined and extremely well suited to its life in the marine environment. Bottlenose dolphins may be seen all around the coast of Scotland, with the Moray Firth being home to the only colony in the North Sea.

The Scottish Dolphin Centre at Spey Bay is a great place for spotting the Moray Firth bottlenose dolphins, as well as other marine sealife. Aberdeen harbour is another area where the chance to catch sight of these marine mammals is high, particularly in the early part of the year. Other types of dolphin and porpoises can be spotted all around Scotland's coast.

In the summer months it’s possible to spot basking sharks, which are the second largest in the world, off Scotland’s coast.